When Aleppo was Yerazayen (Dreamy) Haleb

When Aleppo was Yerazayen (Dreamy) Haleb

A translated and abridged segment from Antranig Zarougian’s book titled Yerazayen Haleb (Dreamy Aleppo).

 Vahe H. Apelian

Yerazayen Haleb (Dreamy Aleppo)

“I have had numerous occasions to write and speak about Haleb Armenians in large halls, in front of hundreds of people. Let me say my real thoughts from the heart. However the number of Haleb Armenians dwindles, the root remains. I remain with deep conviction that the Haleb Armenian is the rose of the Diaspora. If we liken the Armenian Diaspora to a tasty fruit, its seed has come from Haleb.”Antranig Zarougian.

“Haleb is undoubtedly a milestone in the evolution of our Armenian Diasporan identity of the post-Genocide period.  I believe that it is there that the future community of Beirut was forged, and from then on to the different realities of our existence in the West.  In the great migration of our people, Haleb was the first place of a Great Gathering after the initial murderous big bang of the Great Dispersion. The above applies to all aspects of community life, whether they be historical, cultural, political, artistic, literary and so on.  This is not to minimize the roles of other places.  Far from it, but, if there are temporal and geographic points of reference around which our existence coalesced after 1915, Haleb was surely the first.” Viken Attarian

“The overwhelming majority of the Armenians in Haleb were Cilician Armenians; the Sassountsi Armenians were the second largest. Among them, the Aintabsi Armenians occupied a prominent and dominant position. Their numerical superiority was such that they had two schools, Zavarian (Tashnag) and Grtasseerats (the other kind). For some time they had their own church, next to the Cathedral of the Holy Forty Martyrs (Սրբոց Քառասնից Մանկանց Մայր Եկեղեցի). It was known as the “Aintabsis” church. When Catholicos Coadjutor Papken passed away, they did not let him be buried in Antelias. They brought the coffin to Haleb and with a large showing had him buried in “their” church.

Before the Genocide Aintab was considered the Athens among Cilician cities because of its schools, and American College. In spite of the fact that Aintabsi Armenians were Turkish speaking, love of learning and education were much stressed among them. The trustees of the schools naturally were all Aintabsi Armenian craftsmen who took care of the schools much like they took care of their households. However, they regarded that they had the same say in matters relating to education as they had in their own households.

I taught Armenian language and history for six or seven years at the Zavarian School. The middle school students were not as young then as they are now. The average age of the students in the 6th grade was 15 years then, while it is 10 to 12 years these days. It was a good school with a good teaching staff. One year three additional teachers in their twenties were invited. They were hard working and industrious teachers. The atmosphere of the school changed. Even though they were not experienced they animated the school. They became the favorites of the students who congregated around them during recess. The situation did not sit well with the former teachers, some of whom did not look favorably at the situation. Since some of the former teachers had family relations with the trustees of the school, they managed to work out so that these three young teachers were not to be invited the following year.

It was a scandal. These young men had carried their tasks without any blemish. There were no reasons to let them go. Our principal, a good and a humble man, could not defend them and hence unwillingly went along with the decision of the trustees. I objected. Aram, the father of Archbishop Datev Sarkissian joined me. Together we staked the reputation we thought we had and put our names on the balance. Either these three teachers will be invited next year, or the two of us will resign as well.

The trustees remained adamant in their decision. We also remained adamant on our end and thus were forced to leave the school. After all, we were not Aintabsis and they could easily do away with our services. Aram returned to his hometown Kessab where he taught. The Education Council gave me a position of “Education Inspector” to put the Assyrian school in the neighborhood into order. There was not anything to place in order in that school. All it was a kindergarten with one teacher. As to my “Education Inspector” title, it was the Prelate Zareh’s intention to give me a position and a salary.

The year became a fortuitous year for me. I wrote “Letter to Yerevan” (Tought Ar Yerevan) and decided to do away with teaching as a career and embarked on publishing Nairi instead.

Tought Ar Yerevan (Letter to Yerevan)

What happened to three young teachers and who were they?  They did not remain luckless either. On the contrary, due to their innate talents, they blossomed and shaped a lasting identity of their own. The readers will not be surprised when I name them. The first was Zareh Melkonian, a well-known name among the Diaspora Armenian writers. The second was Souren Basmajian who also published under the assumed pen name Aram Armand and repatriated to Armenia. The third, Alfonse Attarian, became a known writer in the modern Armenian literature and wrote under the pen name Armen Tarian.”
 

Our Tourig

By Simon Vratsian

Translated by Vahe H. Apelian

Mehran Tourikian, who wrote under the penname Tourig, was born in the Khoups village of Keghi in 1884. After graduating from the local school, he taught there for two years. After the declaration of the Ottoman Constitution he moved to the United States of America in 1911. During the war he volunteered and fought on the Caucasian front.  He came to Aleppo in 1920-21, where he stayed for the following five years. He played a decisive role in the recruitment of the Armenian genocide orphans held captive. He represented the Keghi Compatriotic Association of the United States. He moved to Lebanon in 1925 where he actively participated in the Armenian communal life. He was a member of the A.R.F. He regularly penned satirical articles in the Aztag Daily that were often accompanied by caricatures drawn by cartoonist Diran Ajemian He passed away on October 19, 1959. He and his wife Shoushan were godparents at my parents’ wedding in Keurkune, Kessab.

LtoR: Mehran Tourikian, Zvart and Hovhannes Apelian

October 29. Hot, it can be said it’s a suffocating hot Sunday. One looks for a shadow.

Friends came, that let us go; it’s Tourig’s first memorial service.

Strange, I had not realized that a year had already passed.

Saint Nshan church probably is full to capacity now. It would be impossible to breathe there in this suffocating hot weather. However, it is Tourig’s memorial, can I not attend? 

Although there are other memorials, the church is mostly empty. Regular Sunday churchgoers, who have nowhere else to go, for that reason they attend church services and few others who truly respect Touring. “Intimates”, those who partook of his daily table are absent.

I felt very uneasy. The choir was singing “Jerusalem of the above”, the choir’s “do not despair small flock” was reaching my ear; however, hammers were doing the talking in my mind.

-Tourig, Touring, Touring, where is your small flock?

Was it this or the smell of the incense? I could not take it anymore so I left the church.

**********

I do not remember the exact date. I had come to Tbilisi from Yerevan. In the Yerevanian Square, volunteers who had come from America surrounded me. They had one thousand and one complaints and demands.

The volunteers were being organized into troops and were being integrated with the regular forces but the volunteers were refusing to be under such command. Especially the Armenian-American volunteers who had come with high hopes and enthusiasm, but instead were disappointed and were complaining that they were deceived in being brought to the Caucasus.

First and foremost, there was no deception. Of course, we had alerted volunteers not to come from America. Personally, I had written letters explaining the situation in the Caucasus and the change in the policies of the Tsarist government. I had urged the Armenian-Americans not to move from their places and take advantage of the favorable employment conditions to save money for the future. However, the impatience had been great with the Armenian-Americans. They were afraid that Armenia would be liberated without their participation. Many had also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity and return to their ancestral homes or to avenge their martyred family members. The party thus had been obliged to give in and send volunteers to the Caucasus from America as well.

The Armenian-Americans arrived in the Caucasus under most unfavorable conditions and they did not receive the welcome they had expected. From here were their first disappointment and a series of other difficulties that were inherent of the volunteering movement.

Karekin Tourikian stood in front of me in the Yerevanian Square.  He is from Khoups village of Keghi. He was dressed in a leather jacket and next to him stood a young man who also was dressed in a leather jacket and was also wearing a Russian Cossack fur hat from which his curly hair protruded.

-“My nephew”, said Karekin, “Mehran Tourikian, he is also a volunteer from America.”

I did not remember Mehran from America. I think he was from Detroit and I had never been to Detroit.

He was a likable young man. In appearance, he was dark. His expression was such that you thought he would be laughing at any moment.  He treated his uncle with reverence.

- “From which troops are you?” I asked.

- “From our troops”, joked Mehran.

- “With few others, we are getting ready to go to Keghi”, explained Karekin, “therefore, we decided not to join any other group”.

I secured for them the necessary permits and gave them recommendations to present to Keghi regional command to explore the region. I think they were 8 to 10 persons. 

They went to Garin and for a long time, there was no news from them. To the extent I remember, Rostom had met them in Garin and had given them advice as to what to do when they get to Keghi.

Later on, I met them in Etchmiadzin. Karekin, Mehran and the others had come to kiss the right hand of the Catholicos and brief the Catholicos what they had seen in Keghi. The Catholicos had heard them in grief, had shed tears with them, had given them his blessings and had bid them farewell. 

Karekin looked hopeless. Not the party, not the Catholicos, no one was in a position to mitigate his pain.

We should take our revenge with our own hands,

That was the conclusion of their troop.

They told what they had seen in Keghi.

There were no Armenians left in Keghi.

To this day Mehran’s expression voiced in an affirmative tone rings in my ear.

-“There are no Armenians, but Armenian will live.”

What did he mean to say? Was it his bitterness for the Armenians who had vanished? It was his faith of course that Keghi will remain Armenian. It’s worth to note here, “your faith will sustain you”.

Karekin had gathered notes about the evacuation and massacres of Keghi. He thought of publishing them. In France, he approached me several times to find a publisher. It was not possible. He evaded trusting his notes to others to read, which he claimed amounted to a few volumes. What happened to these notes? Where they used to prepare a memorial album about Keghi? 

I do not know where the troop of Keghetsis went from Etchmiadzin.

I accidentally met Mehran a few times in the Caucasus. He was a solemn, reserved man who looked at life philosophically. He was the exact opposite to Karekin, who held everyone responsible for the ills that had happened.

Much like our accidental meetings, Mehran disappeared from my Caucasian horizon. I thought that he had returned to America. There was nothing left for him to do in the Caucasus. Keghi was no more. And much like Vanetsi without Van, Keghetsi without his mountains cannot breathe freely.

If it were to end this way, I would have regarded it as an incidental meeting with a likable young man and I probably would have nothing to write. Don’t we all meet likable people in our lives?

**********

Years passed. Armenians dispersed all over the globe. The Armenian Diaspora came into existence branched in my countries. And in every place, a prominent Armenian flavored the local Armenian life.

There are names that define the country or the city they live in. For a while, it was not possible to imagine Paris without Chobanian. Chobanian died, so did Paris for many.

Beirut for a time was synonymous with Touring for me, the Touring of Hotel Lux. Humorous articles in newspapers, Touring; presence in our national bodies, Tourig; in the life of the party, Touring. Who was this individual? For a brief moment, I could not believe that he is the Mehran I had met in the Caucasus. That dark-featured young man, with expressive eyes, curly hair, the solemn young man and now a married man with children.

America had not enticed him. Avenging the ills that had befallen on his people had catapulted him from the Caucasus to Cilicia. He had participated in the national upheavals and struggles there.  In the end he had met a like-minded miss from Garin and gotten married and had settled in Beirut as the owner and director of the famed Hotel Lux and as the enthusiastic national and party activist.

In December 1951, when I moved from America to Beirut. Touring and his wife Shoushan visited me for the welcome at Goms’ house where I was staying. Almost 35 years had passed since I had met him last in the Caucasus. His former impressive curly hair had disappeared. However, his expressive eyes and face had remained the same but he seemed to have grown even darker. There was a new man in front of me both in the body and in mind, someone who had grown wise by the experiences of life into the beloved Touring of the community.

The life of every Armenian is a novel. For some it’s tragedy, for others its adventure, and for a third it’s comedy. Touring was fated to experience these three literary genres in his life to leave this earth content and in joy.

That’s what he told me during our last visit, “I leave this earth content and in joy.” He said.

Was that true though? His eyes were telling otherwise. Who, I beg you let me know, leaves this planet called earth content and in joy?

“Do not despair small flock”, but where is the flock?

The words of the song are being justified: “you die and they bury you as if you never lived on earth”…………..

 

“Housaper” Daily

December, 15 1960

The Meeting That Did Not Take Place: Remembering Murad Meneshian.

By Vahe H. Apelian

A few years ago, I was enjoying the Gulf of Mexico breeze on the third floor of my cousin’s three stories spacious town house on the Padre Island, when he handed me a book to read. My maternal cousin Jack Chelebian M.D. is a practicing psychiatrist in Corpus Christi but resides on Padre Island. He is an avid reader and would make a superb writer as well—should he engage in writing. Handing the book he let me know that it was a must read. The book was authored by Murad and was entitled Raffi, The Prophet from Payajuk.

After I returned home, I began reading the book. I remained fascinated and captivated by the author’s knowledge and his superb narration of the eminent novelist and of his times that in many ways were no less a product of Raffi’s pen, as the literary and the political soul of the 19th century Armenian renaissance.

Throughout my reading, I thought of Murad and said to myself, “this is a man I should befriend.” After reading the book, I wrote to him, noting the serendipitous turn of events that led me come across his book and my impressions. I also asked him to donate—on my behalf—a signed copy of his book to the Armenian Museum of America. I wanted a personalized copy of his book to grace the shelves of the library there.

Henceforth, we communicated on and off. At times, he would comment having read an article I wrote. It is through such correspondence that I came to find that he was born in Iraq. His parents were from Govdoon village of Sepastia.

This past October, I accompanied my wife attending a yearly weeklong nursing conference in Chicago. I contacted Murad beforehand and set a tentative date for a quiet evening with our families to confirm upon my arrival. I sent him an email the evening we checked in, alerting him of our presence and readiness to have dinner together during the week. I did not hear from him that evening.

The next day I received an email from his wife Knarik letting me know that yesterday Murad was taken to the hospital because of  sudden medical complications. Two days later, she let me know that Murad had passed away and that his viewing would take place at the Armenian Apostolic Church. Instead of a dinner, my wife and I drove to offer our condolences to Murad’s family.

There I saw Murad for the first time. His body lay in an open casket with a copy of his book placed next time. Having offered our condolences to Knarik, I felt the futility of staying any longer. Unexpectedly, life had run its course on Murad and the evening with him I had envisioned all along was not to take place. As we exited the sanctuary, we came across a young man in the hallway greeting those present. We figured he is related to Murad. We approached him and introduced ourselves. His immediate response was whether we are related to Daniel Apelian. My wife let him know that Taniel is our elder son. We could tell that we had caught the young man in utter surprise for it turned out that our son and Sevan have been good friends since their days at Camp Haiastan. There was no doubt that was the case for Sevan knew not only about Taniel and his wife Nicole, but also knew our names and about us as well in ways that only trusting good friends would share each other, that Taniel's mother Marie had served the U.S. Army as a reservist for a quarter of century and retired as a Lieutenant Colonel. The moment became a bitter and a sweet reminder for me. Surely Murad would have been pleasantly surprised as well learning that well before our exchanges, our teenage sons, one from suburban Chicago and the other from suburban Cincinnati had met each other in Franklin, Mass. long, long before we did and had forged a lasting friendship. What was not meant to be ours will become our sons’ lifelong friendship.

It is not farfetched to imagine that Murad’s Sepastatsi parents named their son after the legendary freedom fighter Sepastatsi Murad. Little did his parents know that one day their son would also become a legend in his own right, for Murad’s book about the eminent novelist Raffi is a definitive work for all times.

Putting aside the countless hours Murad had spent reading and rereading Raffi’s novels over the past many decades, he spent seven years for the preparation of the book, a year of which he spent in Armenia. Murad was a chemist in pharmaceutical industry, Not only its scientists are expected to dot every “i” and cross every “t,” but are expected to verify whatever they commit on paper even if they were from a trustful source. Murad’s book about Raffi is the sum total of the sentimental and the scientific Murad meshed into one.

Seeing Murad’s body in the coffin reminded me of the epilogue of his book where he wrote about Raffi in his coffin, who “seemed to be asleep. He appeared as if his thoughts glowed on his finely furrowed wide forehead.”

There are few Armenian first names where we make a mental connection with the most prominent person bearing that name. Among the latter prominently stands out the name Raffi, a name coined by Raffi himself. Another name is Murad, immortalized by the legendary freedom fighter and a compatriot of the Meneshian family from Govdoon, Sepastatsi Murad.

May Raffi and Murad rest in peace.

 Note: The article is reproduced from Armenian Weekly, May 1, 2017.

In loving memory of Effie M Chambers (Oct 3, 1863- Oct 3, 1947)

Vahe H. Apelian

Effie M. Chambers

I first heard Miss Chambers' name in my early teens. My recollection puts me in the company of family and friends in Keurkune, Kessab, seated cross-legged on the floor under the dim light of the kerosene lantern chatting of the bygones. Other than the endearing memories she had left behind, nothing else seems to have been known about her, not even her first name. She was simply the beloved Miss Chambers of the Kessabtsis who uttered her name in one breath and in local accent making Miss part of her name but not the title. 

My curiosity about her rekindled when I read Haigaz Terterian’s article about the founding of the Kessab Educational Association in 1910. Haigaz, quoting Dr. Albert Apelian, makes reference to Miss Chambers’ positive influence in fostering education and learning in Kessab at the turn of the 20th century. Coupling her name with Kessab I embarked on a search trusting that the powerful Internet search engines Google and Bing will shed some light about her. Not only I found more than I was expecting, but I also serendipitously came across her grand niece’s email, a lady by the name of Danette Hein-Snider who has been doing research on her grand aunt’s life and has managed to gather quite a bit of material in way of photos, reports written from the field, newspaper articles, and personal letters. 

Mrs. Danette wrote: “She (Effie Chambers) first planned to enter the missionary field with her soon to be husband. But unfortunately he did not pass the physical, and so she had to make a choice to stay home and marry or go to the missionary field. She chose the missions and left her fiancé’ and never married. Her home was burned at least twice and her friends insisted that she come home, but she told them God sent her to the Armenians and He would tell her when she was supposed to leave, and until then she would live with them and care for them to the best of her ability.”

Her obituary stated that “Miss Effie Chambers, fourth child of Mary and Harlow Chambers, was born 3 October 1863, at the family home north of Anderson (Iowa). She was one of eleven children, six daughters and five sons, seven preceding her in death. Her education was begun in a rural school close to this home and then moved to Sidney to enter the public school, where she prepared herself for teaching. At this time, she united with the Presbyterian Church in Sidney under the pastorate of Rev. H. B. Dye. She taught in the Fremont County Schools, and then entered Iowa State Teachers College at Cedar Falls. Then she was given an appointment as a teacher in the Creek Indian School in the Indian Territory, where she decided on Foreign Missions as her life’s work. To prepare herself for this work she entered Tabor College, receiving her diploma in June 1893, and was accepted by the Congregational Board of Foreign Missions, and in the fall of 1893 sailed for Turkey, in Asia. There she remained 19 years in the service of Christ.”

Miss Chambers did not go to Kessab when she first moved to Turkey. A report by the Woman’s Board of Missions in 1898 places Miss Effie Chambers in Ourfa. Ephraim K. Jernazian in his book Judgment Unto Truth: Witnessing the Armenian Genocidetranslated into English by Alice Haig, places Miss Effie Chambers in Urfa in 1896. The 1905 Mission Studies: Woman's Work in Foreign Lands, Volumes 23-24 report that Miss Chambers has gone to teach in the Aintab Seminary. Both Urfa (Ourfa) and Aintab, depopulated of their Armenian inhabitants now, had sizable Armenian populations then. 

The 1904 Annual Report of the American Commissioners of Foreign Mission, to the credit of the Kessabtsis reported the following: “Miss Chambers’ first year in Kessab has been a good one in spite of many trying circumstances. The people welcomed her coming with cordiality and have aided her in many ways. The people here are not close-bound by customs and are ready to learn and put into practice new things. The Sunday school has about a thousand pupils. Miss Chambers makes an earnest request for another lady to join her in this promising work at Kessab”. It is not known if another lady joined Miss Chamber. She stood alone in the memories of her contemporaries in Kessab. Her grandniece, Mrs. Danette reported that she found these verses in her writings: *Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ”. Galatians 6:2 “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few.” Matthew 9:37

Thus, we can safely conclude that Miss Effie Chambers arrived in Kessab in 1904 and remained there until her return to the United States in 1912 and thus endured the atrocities along with the rest of the Kessabtsis during the 1909 massacres, although she was in Adana when the actual attack on Kessab took place. 

The New York Times on Monday, April 26, 1909, reported the following: “Constantinople, April 25 - Dispatches reaching here from points in Asiatic Turkey bring tidings of Armenian and Turkish conflicts all over the country. Dr.JM Balph, who is in charge of the missions at Latakia, Syria, telegraphs that the refugees are arriving there from outlying parts of the district who report massacres and the burning of towns. He also reports that there are the gravest apprehensions concerning the conditions at Kessab where Miss Chambers is one of the missionaries”. Edward Latimer Beach in his autobiography titled ‪From Annapolis to Scapa Flow states that Miss Chamber’s presence in Kessab became a justifiable cause for foreign powers to interfere in Kessab and prevent further atrocities in protecting an American citizen. Dr. Albert Apelian in his book in Armenian entitled Kessab and its Villages states that 152 persons, mostly old and young were killed during the pogroms, 516 houses, 62 businesses, and 4 churches were destroyed causing widespread despair.

After the atrocities, Miss Chambers stayed with the Kessabtsis and worked to ameliorate their situation. The June 1911 Missionary Herald reported the following: “ With us, in America, the memory of the Armenian massacres of 1909 in the region of Adana may be becoming dim; on the ground, the misery they entailed is very real and present. At Kessab they have yet no church building to replace the one that was destroyed, and Miss Effie Chambers is almost heartbroken at finding no place where can be gathered the remnant of the church, further discouraged and burdened by the sufferings of a terrific winter. What is most needed is uplift of spiritual life, and this is hard to promote with no meeting place for worship and fellowship. If the money could be found for rebuilding, it would not only provide a sanctuary but as well as timely work for the people, to help them get their bread. Though the missionary herself with the rest is in need of clothes and a comfortable bed, the cry is not for these things, but for help that will prevent the passing of another winter without the blessing of a church home. It seems to this lone woman, tugging at her task, as though help for her distressed flock must come from those who are more abundantly provided with the aids and comforts of religion.”

The dire circumstances took a toll on Miss Chamber’s health as well. Her obituary stated that her health was so affected that she returned to the United States in the spring of 1912, where she spent several years lecturing for the cause of Foreign Missions. On Wednesday, May 8, 1912, College Eye, a publication by the students of Iowa State Teachers College, reported that “Miss Effie Chambers who graduated from the Teachers College some thirty years ago is spending a few days in the city. Miss Chambers has been engaged in missionary work in Armenia for several years. It will be remembered that she is responsible for sending Bedros Apelian to the college to complete his education. Miss Chambers addressed the students on her work in Armenia at the regular prayer meeting hour last Sunday night”. After Iowa Rev Bedros Apelian continued his education at the Columbia University and served his calling on the east coast and among others officiated the wedding of Henry and Virginia Apelian on April 4, 1959. Miss Effie Chambers spent the remaining years of her life with her brother Will in the old family home where she died on October 3, 1947, at the age of 84 and was buried in Chambers cemetery, which was given to the community by her grandfather, Ezekiel Chambers, in the year 1857.

Thus ended the life of Miss Effie Chambers, who left an indelible and enduring impression on her contemporaries in Kessab some of whom as pupils in her Sunday school or as young men and women carried her memory into their old age and passed it to the next generation. The legacy of her contribution to the Kessabtsis endured, however much like other unwritten stories, over time she faded into oblivion to have a rightful place in the memories of the younger generations of Kessabtsis.

Effie M. Chambers Tomb, in Iowa, U.S.

 

Սպաղանաց Մակար

 Վահէ Յ. Աբէլեան, (Յուլիս 1993)

 

Պատանեկան տարիքս դեռ նոր թեւակոխած էի, երբ հայրս զիզ անդամագրեց Պէյրութի Հ.Յ.Դ.Բաբգէն Սիւնի Պատանեկան Միութեան, որուն հանդիպումները տեղիկ՝ունենային «Ժողովրդային Տան» մէջ, հնադարեան ու հնամաշ շէնքէ մը ներս: Ժողովասրահի պատերուն վրայի նկարները, անոր մնայուն բնակիչ Շապազ Հայրիկը, սենեակները օգտագործող երիտասարդները եւ տարեց մարդիկը, խորհրդաւորմթնոլորտ մը կը ստեղծէին կառոյցով խախուտ այդ ժողովասրահէն ներս:

Այս մթնոլորտին մէջ էր, որ կը սկսէր Բաբգէն Սիւնի Պատանեկան Միութեան ազգային դաստիարակութիւնը, որուն տարեկան հերթականութեամբ, անպայմանօրէն մաս կը կազմէր Բաբգէն Սիւնին, Պանք ՕթոմանիԳրաւումը եւ Սպաղանաց Մակարի Դէպքը: Ժամանակի ընթացքին դէպքերը եւ դէմքերը որոշ իրավիճակ կըստանային մեր պատանեկան մտաշխահրներուն մէջ շնորհիւ լուսանկարներուն, բայց Սպաղանաց Մակարիպարագան տարբեր էր: Ան որեւէ նկար չունէր: Ո՛չ պատերուն վրայ, եւ ո՛չ ալ գիրքերուն մէջ:

Հ. Յ. Դ. Հարիւրամեակի Յուշամատեանը թղթատած միջոցիս, հանդիպեցայ Սպաղանաց Մակարի համարյարմարցուած, գծագրուած դիմանկարի մը, որ զետեղուած էր Գէորգ Չաւուշի լուսանկարին կողքին: Պատշաճլուսանկար մըն է անկասկած, երբեմնի Սասնայ Սպղանքի իշխան Մակարին, որ պատանեկան օրերէս ի վեր իմմէջս մնացած է Տօրք Անգեղի նման տարտամ մտապատկեր մը

Սպաղանաց Մակարի եւ Գէորգ Չաւուշի տարակարծութեան պատճառը, ինչպէս Ռուբէն Փաշան կը ներկայացնէիր յուշերուն մէջ, Գէորգ Չաւուշի ամուսնութիւնն էր: Կրնայ ըլլալ որ այլ պատճառներ ալ կային: Վերջինհաշուով հայդուկապետին եւ իր զինակիցներուն միջեւ անկասկած որ տարակարծութիւններ կը ծագէին, որոնքշատ հաւանաբար կը հարթուէին տեղւոյն վրայ: Բայց այս պարագան տարբեր էր: 

Գէորգ Չաւուշ հայդուկապետն էր, սակայն իրեն տարակարծիք զինակիցը՝ Սպաղանաց Մակար, պարզ ֆէտայիմը չէր: Սպաղանաց Մակարի վարկն ու հեղինակութիւնը այնքա՜ն ազդեցիկ էր, որ Հ. Յ. Դ.եան Գերագոյնմարմինը մասնաւոր պատուիրակ կը ղրկէր, յանձինս Ռուբէն Տէր Մինասեանի, հարթելու համար այս երկուհեղինակաւոր հայդուկներուն միջեւ ծագած տարակարծութիւնը, որ սկսած էր վնասել ֆետայականաշխատանքներուն: Թէ ինչպէս Ռուբէն տնօրինեց պարագան, այդ կը թողում ընթերցողին հետաքրքրութեան: Այս դէպքը հոս կը ներկայացնեմ բնորոշելու համար Սպաղանաց Մակարի հեղինակութիւնը, որ ո՛չ միայն կըտարածուէր Դուրան Բարձրավանդակին վրայ, այլ կը հասնէր մինչեւ Հ. Յ. Դ.եան Գերագոյն մարմինը

Ո՞վ էր Սպաղանաց Մակարը

Սպաղանաց Մակարը Սասնայ Սպղանքի տէրն ու իշխանն էր: Ռուբէն իր յուշերուն մէջ կը նկարագրէ զինքորպէս «Աժդահա մը, շա՜տ ահարկու»: Ժողովուրդը կ՝ըսէր, «Գէորգ գայլ է կամ վագր, իսկ քեռի Մակարն էլ, կռուի ժամանակ զարկած գոմէշ է»: Եւ իրաւ կը յուշէ Ռուբէն, «Մեծ ու արիւնոտ աչքերով, խոշոր գլխով եւհսկայ մարմինով այդ աժդահա մարդը, կռուի ժամանակ ո՛չ աջ կը նայէր, եւ ո՛չ ալ ձախ. ահարկու ձայնով, խենչարը ձեռքին առաջ կ՝երթար եւ կամ անշարժ կը մնար, թէկուզ հարիւրաւոր թնդանօթներ պայթէին իր վրայ»: 

Սասնայ լեռներուն վրայ ծնած ու հասակ առած այս մարդը, բնութեան անաղարտ զաւակը եղած ըլլալու էր: Անուս, անգրագէտ եւ առհասարակ ո՛չ մէկ կարիքը զգացած ըլլալու էր ո՛չ մէկ խորամանկութեան կամ որեւէփափկանկատութեան: Աւատապետի իր հանգամանքով բիրտ էր ու ըմբոստ: «Ուսումով մարդիկ քընզՏամատեան, քընզ Գուրգէն, Արմենակ, վըր մերին գլխուն գլխաւո՞ր...: Իդա ի՞նչ է Արաբօ եւ Մուրատ, հա Ապրոնու Գէորգ, թէկուզ իմ սանահէր Սերոբ: Զըմէնն ալ քընզ Մակար չարժեն»: Սպաղանաց Իշխան Մակարի համարամէնքը առաւելագոյն պարագային իրեն գործակիցներ էին:

Ե՞րբ եւ ինչո՞ւ Սպաղանաց Մակարը անդամակցած է ֆէտայի

Սպաղանաց Մակարը ֆէտայի անդամակցելով, հաւատարիմ մնացած էր ֆէտայական աւանդական կարգ ուսարքին եւ չէր կազմած իր սեփական ընտանիքը: Երեւոյթները ցոյց կու տան որ ան ֆէտայի անդամակցած էր, երբ հայդուկային շարժումը սկսած էր կազմակերպչական բնոյթ ստանալ Դուրան Բարձրավանդակէն ներս: Անդարձած էր զինակիցը Սերոբ Աղբիւրի, Գէորգ Չաւուշի, Հրայրի, Անդրանիկի, Մուրատի, Տամատեանի եւ Տարօնիայլ անուանի ֆէտայիներուն, որոնք գործեցին Սասունի եւ Տարօնի Բարձրավանդակէն ներս: Իր զինակիցներըարժանացան գէթ լուսանկարի մը, ինչպէս է պարագամ Գէորգ Չաւուշի, լուսանկարուած Աղթամար կղզիիժայռերուն վրայ՝ Վահան Փափազեանին կողմէ: Սակայն հայդուկային կեանքը զրկեց Սպաղանաց Մակարը այդպերճանքէն իսկ: Եւ ան պատանի երեւակայութեանս մէջ մնաց Ձէնով Օհանին եւ Տորք Անգեղին նմանմտապատկեր մը։

Սպաղանաց Մակարի ֆէտայի անդամակցութեան դրդապատճառը կարելի է գտնել Մակարի զինակւց եւ օր մընալ միասնաբար զոհուելու ճակատագրուած Շէնիկի Մանուկին եւ Ռուբէն Տէր Մինասեանի միջեւ տեղիունեցած հետեւեալ խորհրդակցութեան. Ռուբէն հարց տուած էր Շէնիկի Մանուկին, որ Սպաղանաց Մակարինման ունեւոր ընտանիքէ կու գար, թէ ինչո՞ւ ձգած էր իր հողերն ու հանգիստ կեանքը եւ դարձած ֆէտայի։

«Երբ Մարաթուկ կամ Սուրբ Կարապետ ուխտի գնան», կը պատասխանէ Շէնիկ Մանուկ, «մատաղցուի համարչեն ընտրէր քոսոտ այծերին, անընդունելի է Սուրբին համար, միշտ պէտք է ընտրել զլաւ խոյերին ուխտինպատակին հասնելու համար: Մեր Աստուած Հայոց ազատութիւնն է, աշիր ու հարուստ հայեր ամենէն առաջպէտք է մատուցուին այդ զոհասեղանին»: 

Շատ հաւանաբար, նոյն այս հոգեբանութիւնն էր, որ մղած էր Սպաղանի աւատապետ Իշխան Մակարը թողնելուիր ընկերային դիրքը, տունը, կալուածները եւ դառնալ ֆէտայի, որուն համար Շէնիկի Մանուկ եւ ՍպաղանացՄակար պիտի դառնային պարարտ զոհեր:

Ի՞նչ կռիւներու մասնակցած է Սպաղանաց Մակար

Համառօտ կերպով հետեւեալ ճակատամարտները կարելի է թուել, որոնց մասնակցած էր Սպաղանաց Մակար.

·       Սերոբ Աղբիւրին դաւադրաբար թունաւորող մարդուն եւ անոր ընտանիքին ահաբեկումը կազմակերպածԱնդրանիկի     ղեկավարութեամբ:

·       Պշարէ Խալիլ քիւրտ աշիրէթապետին Սպաղանքի վրայ յարձակման կռիւը:

·        Նոյն այդ Պշարէ Խալիլի գլխատման կռիւը՝ Անդրանիկի ղեկավարու-թեամբ:

·       1890-93 Սասնոյ, Տալուորիկի, Անտոկի, Ծովասարի կռիւները:

·       1904 Սասնայ երկրորդ ապստամբութեան մասնակցութիւնը:

·       1904-08, Տարօնի եւ Վասպուրականի կռիւներուն իր մասնակցութիւնը:

Այս ամբողջ ֆէտայական կռիւներուն, Սպաղանաց Մակար ստացած է հրամանատարի պատասխանատուպարտաւորութիւններ: Շատ հաւանաբար չափազանցութիւն պիտի չըլլայ շեշտել, որ 1890-էն մինչեւ իրեղերական մահը, Սպաղանաց Մակար մասնակցած է Սասնայ եւ Դուրան Բարձրավանդակի ֆէտայականգլխաւոր ճակատամարտերուն եւ գործած այդ շրջանէն ներս գործող անուանի հայդուկներուն հետ: ՍպաղանացՄակար անգիտակից չէր հայ յեղափոխական շարժման իր բերած նպաստին: Իրեն յատուկ ոճով եւպարզախօսութեամբ, այսպէս կը ներկայացնէր իր բերած նպաստը.

«Ամբողջ հայ ազգը Սասուն կը նայի: Սասունն ալ հայ ազգի հոգին: Իսկ Սասունի հոգին ալ Սպաղանք եղած է: Երբ Սիմալըն Տամատեանը կը մատնէր, երբ Կելիէ Կիւզանը Աբոն կը մեռցնէր, երբ ամբողջ դաշտը եւ ՎերիԳեալէն Սերոբն ու Գուրգէնը դուրս կը վռնտէին, ո՞վ էր վառ պահեց յեղափոխութեան ճրագը, ո՞վ էր որֆէտայիներուն օթեւան տուեց եւ կռնակ եղաւ...: Դա՝ Սպղանքն էր եւ քեռի Մակարը:»

Ի՞նչպէս զոհուեցաւ Սպաղանաց Մակարը

Գէորգ Չաւուշի Սուլուխի ճակատամարտին նահատակութենէն ետք, Դուրան Բարձրավանդակի մէջ որպէսղեկավարներ մնացին Սպաղանաց Մակարը եւ Ռուբէն Տէր Մինասեանը: Ահաւասիկ այն ժամանակ էր որ լուրհասաւ իրենց, որ Գէորգի կինը՝ Եղսոն եւ զաւակը՝ Վարդգէս վտանգի մէջ են: Սպաղանաց Մակար ստանձնեցանոնց ապահովութեան պատասխանատուութիւնը: Ան՝ այժմ ստանձնած էր պաշտպանութիւնը կնոջ մը, որունամուսնութիւնը իր եւ իր զինակիցին միջեւ խոր տարակարծութեան պատճառ հանդիսացած էր: 

Երբեմնի հայդուկապետ Գէորգ Չաւուշի ընտանիքը փոխադրելու ժամանակ, Մակարը պաշարուեցաւ իրզինակից Շէնիկի Մանուկին հետ: Մակարը փախցնել տուաւ Գէորգի զաւակը՝ Վարդգէսը, ըսելով որ «ճիժ է, գուցէ փրկուի»: Իսկ Գէորգի կինը՝ Եղսոն, իր անմիջական պաշտպանութեան տակ պահեց, ըսելով. «Եղսոննամուս է, պէտք չէ թշնամիին ձեռքը անցնի»: Եղսոն ու Վարդգէսը փրկուեցան, սակայն Սպաղանաց Մակարը եւՇէնիկի Մանուկը դաձան պարարտ խոյերը զոհասեղանին:

                                                                                                                                    

ԾԱՆՕԹ. Այս գրութիւնը քաղած եմ ընդհանրապէս մօրեղբօրս՝ Դոկտ. Անդրանիկ Չէլէպեանի «ՅեղափոխականԴէմքեր» գիրքէն եւ Ռուբէնի «Յուշեր»էն:

Garo Derounian, More Than a Researcher, a Master Silversmith

By Vahe H. Apelian

I do not remember when and under what circumstances I met Garo Derounian. When I say met, I do not mean to say in person but online, more precisely on the Facebook where nowadays we establish acquaintances and even forge friendships.

I am not sure what drove me to feel a kinship with him long before I got to know of his unique artistic talent as a master silversmith and his varied interests in history. It could have been his name. He is my late brother’s namesake. Garo is the endearing version of Garabed, which means a forerunner, a pioneer of good things. He is an avid collector of Armenian books and regularly posts on his Facebook page the copy of the cover of a new book he has recently acquired to enrich his ever-expanding library.

Thanks to Garo’s postings I also became aware that his parental roots hail from Marash. He is one the three administrators of the Union of Marash Armenians in Facebook. He regularly posts about historical Marash. But it became obvious to me that Garo’s natural interests are in everything of recent Armenian history and he presents himself as an independent researcher.

Catholicos Aram invited him to the committee that oversaw the staffing of the museum in Jbeil, Lebanon dedicated to the Armenian genocide orphans. His research unearthed interesting facts about the Armenian Genocide orphans who were cared for by the Birds’ Nest orphanage in the same city. The museum is located in the orphanage’s sprawling campus on the Mediterranean Sea shore.  One of his finds was our mutual friend, Garo Konyalian’s father’s picture repairing shoes. Garo did not know that his orphaned father Krikor, who was one of the co-owners of a clothing store on Beirut’s main thoroughfare, Rue Weygand, had started his life as an apprenticed shoe repairer trained in the orphanage. Garo Derounian’s name is now listed on the plaque of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia’s Armenian Genocide Orphans’ “Aram Bezikian” Museum as the Archives Collector.

Nowadays Garo Derounian is in charge of the library of the all-time Armenian favorite KOHAR Symphony Orchestra and Choir. The Armenian culture patron Harut Khatchadourian, who along with his brother is the benefactor of this favorite Armenian symphony orchestra, appointed Garo to that position as a researcher. He is tasked to have a complete collection of Armenian hymnals ever printed. I am happy to be a contributor of a small hymnal that was titled in English as “Armenian Song Book” and was published by St. Leon Apostolic Church of Fair Lawn, NJ in 1984. The Late Mirjan Kirian had compiled 48 favorite songs in that hymnal. I happened to have kept the copy Mirjan had given to me. Derounian considered it a rare find. The museum did not have a copy of this hymnal. He deemed it be worth archiving it in the KOHAR’s library.

Garo Derounian is born in 1969 in the Arakatz neighborhood of the famed Bourj Hamoud of Lebanon. He graduated from Mesrobian Armenian Catholic School and had planned to study medicine. His studies in the Lebanese University were interrupted due Lebanese civil war and he started apprenticing in the family’s business of silversmithing and bronzesmithing. In 1994 he married his college sweetheart Caroline Rafaelian. They are blessed with two sons, Shant, and Razmig who had their secondary education in the famed Djemaran and nowadays are university students.

I have always remained appreciative of Garo Derounian’s interest in research and his single-minded devotion as a researcher of things that are Armenian. But I would like to be brutally honest here and say that it is not his interest in archives that has impressed me the most, but it is by far his unique talent as a master silversmith.

Silversmithing has been a cherished artistic trade among Armenians. Kalemkerian family of Aintab has been one the most prominent families in this art. The family had passed the tradition down for the past two hundred years. Regrettably the last of the family’s scion, Hovhannes Kalemkerian, passed away recently in Aleppo putting an end to the family’s unique artistry.  Recently a book was published in Aleppo titled “The Kalemkerians” by Hraztan Tokmajian where the pictures of many of the silverware pieces the family had fashioned over the years for use in the Catholicosate of Sis Churches are presented.

Garo has ceased to apply himself as a master silversmith. When I suggested to him that he should train one of his sons in this unique art, he claimed that the art has died. Many Saudi princes and Armenian ecclesiastical leaders, such as Catholicos Aram I, have commissioned him to make beautiful, ornate silverware. It is plainly evident, however, that they do compensate his rightfully due given the tremendous amount of time it takes to produce such a silverware piece.

A cursory look at the pictures of the pieces he has made, whose pictures he has posted on his Facebook page shows a variety of silverwares Garo Derounian has manually fashioned over the years such as Islamic incense burners, flower vases, differently styled coffee holders, crosiers used by Catholicos Aram I and by Armenian Catholic Patriarchs, jewelry boxes, Armenian “Khatchkar” in silver, ecclesiastical walking staff, chalices and others. I invite readers to view the pictures. I have attached the pictures of some of the pieces.

After the passing away of the last Kalemkerian scion, Garo Derounian may well end up to be the last of the Mohegan of this ancient artistry in the Armenian Diaspora.

What a pity it would be if he ceases to apply his unique artistic silversmithing mastery because of lack of appreciation nowadays of this unique, hard-earned ancient artistry.